Passed immediately after 9/11 by a nearly unanimous vote in the Senate, the PATRIOT Act was the most visible of
many blows that our privacy and civil liberties have suffered over the past decade. Police and intelligence agencies gained
broad powers to spy, pry, and access private information about innocent people without a warrant or any checks and balances.

Multiple government and independent reports have documented widespread abuse of these powers, as
well as profiling according to race, religion, national origin, and political viewpoint. These problems have particularly
affected Muslim Americans, Arabs and South Asians of other faiths, and activists working for peace or environmental justice.
But because our Constitution belongs to all of us, all Americans have been affected.

Take a moment to review our talking points. Then, call your senators and your representative
and ask them to stand up for our rights:

Vote NO on Reauthorization of the PATRIOT
Act until it is amended to add strong protections for civil liberties.

Rein in the FBI and COINTELPRO
2.0: Congress must conduct more careful oversight and prevent the FBI from monitoring innocent Americans without
any evidence—or even suspicion—of a crime; or profiling based on race, ethnicity, religion or political belief.

Cut
spending: When addressing the bloated federal budget, start with wasteful programs justified in the name of national
security that offend both fiscal conservatism and constitutional rights.